Over the years, there has been a plethora of research done
on how the quality of our air impacts our health and well-being. We’ve
learned that it can cause illnesses such as respiratory infections, different
cancers, and that it is linked to autism in children; however, there has just
been another finding that no one saw coming: breathing in dirty air can make
you fat. You may be sitting at your desk wondering, “Wait, how can air make me
fat, it’s just air!” This finding may seem preposterous to most, but various
studies have been conducted that show it is a very real issue. Two people may
be on the same diet regimen and exercise regularly; however, one may experience
more weight gain depending on the quality of air in their home or immediate
surroundings. The two main culprits that diminish the quality of our air are
cigarette smoke and traffic fumes. These two pollutants are composed of
microscopic, irritating particles that cause inflammation within our bodies and
interfere with our metabolism’s ability to burn energy. While in the short term
the effects of breathing in these toxins appear to be harmless, over an
extended period of time it can contribute to the manifestation of serious
diseases, as well as rapid weight gain.

How strong is the
evidence for these air quality-weight gain studies and should you be worried?

In a laboratory study conducted at Ohio State University,
laboratory mice offered some of the first notions that air pollution may cause more
problems than just respiratory illnesses and the like. The breeder of the mice,
Qinghua Sun, was interested in examining why those that lived in more urban
areas were at a greater risk for heart disease, when compared to those that
lived in more rural areas. He took into account that there are more, readily
available, unhealthy food establishments located in urban areas, which could contribute
to the reason for this issue; however, he wondered if there was something else,
perhaps in the air that we breathe, that could be exacerbating this problem.

To test his theory, he began to raise his mice in different
types of conditions, which were based off of a plethora of cities. For example,
some mice were given clean, filtered air, which represented the air quality in
more rural areas; while other mice were given dirtier, unfiltered fumes, which
represented the air quality in more populated, urban areas. During this study,
all of the other factors were kept the same and the only independent variable
was the quality of the air, therefore controlling for any confounding variables
that could also account for weight gain. Throughout the process of
administering the different air qualities, Sun’s team tracked the mice weight
gain and examined how their metabolism functioning was effected.

After a period of 10 weeks, researchers could already see
very apparent effects in the mice that were exposed to the dirtier air. The mice
exposed to the air pollution, when compared to mice exposed to clean air,
showed a higher percentage of body fat, both around their stomach and their
internal organs. It was also shown that the fat cells in mice inhaling
pollutants appeared to be 20% larger than those in mice that were exposed to
the clean air. Additionally, these mice seemed to have become less sensitive to
insulin, which is a crucial hormone responsible for turning our blood sugar
into energy.

This study, along with other subsequent animal studies, show
that pollution has the ability to trigger an avalanche of reactions within our
body. Pollution that is present in our cities is made up of tiny particles,
about 2.5 micrometers wide. When we breathe in, these particles irritate the minuscule, moist air-sacs that normally allow oxygen to pass through our blood
stream. As a result, the lungs’ lining gets irritated and causes our nervous
system to shift into overdrive. This includes the release of hormones
that reduce insulin’s potency and draws blood away from the insulin-sensitive
muscle tissue, preventing the body from maintaining control of its blood sugar
levels.

The minuscule particles may also unleash
inflammatory molecules called “cytokines”, which can wash through the blood and
cause immune cells to attack healthy tissue within our bodies. This interferes
with the tissue’s ability to react to insulin; the additional inflammation can
also affect the part of the brain that controls and regulates our hunger cues,
according to Michael Jerrett at the University of California. All of the above
not only knocks our normal bodily functions out of whack, but it can also lead
to more serious metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes.

Moving past animal studies, when we look
at humans in various cities across the world, we can see these findings
manifest themselves within our population. For example, there was a study that
was conducted in Ontario, Canada over a 14-year period. Researchers looked at
the medical records of over 60,000 people and found that the chance of getting
diabetes rose 11% for every 10 micro grams of fine particles in a cubic meter of
air. This statistic is quite concerning,
especially because some cities in Asia can reach up to 500 micro grams per cubic
meter of air. In another study, a Swiss population of 4,000 people was
examined and they showed similar signs of increased hypertension, insulin resistance,
and waist circumference.

Scientists are also very concerned that
children may be affected as a result of mothers breathing in harmful
pollutants, which could lead to child obesity. There was a study, conducted by
Andrew Rundle at Columbia University, where he studied mothers and children who
grew up in the Bronx. During the pregnancy period, he had these women wear
backpacks that monitored the air quality as they went about their day. When the
children were born he had researchers monitor their air quality as well.
Controlling for other confounding factors (such as socioeconomic status or
diet), the children born in polluted areas were 2.3 times more likely to be obese when compared to children raised
in cleaner environments.

Although these findings seem disconcerting, you shouldn’t
over analyze them. According to Abby Fleisch at Harvard Medical School, “They only draw a link between exposure and outcome, but can’t prove that
one factor causes another.” However, her studies agree with the previous
statistics and studies- even in the first 6 months of life, babies that live in
polluted areas are shown to put on weight more rapidly than those in cleaner
environments. She explains that this doesn’t mean the air quality is the end all
answer to this phenomenon, but it definitely plays a role to some extent.

So if this link is
proven, how can we protect our families and ourselves from something that
literally encompasses everything around us?

Researchers say that long term solutions
can include things such as implementing the use of electric cars and solar
powered devices. Streets could also be redesigned to help protect pedestrians
and cyclists from inhaling pollutants. In the short-term, air-purifiers and
higher quality filters can be placed in homes, schools, and the workplace to
filter out toxins that may be hovering indoors.

It is crucial that we take control of our
pollution issue that is slowly growing at a steady rate. Although some cities
in the world, such as Paris and London, seem to have pollution under control,
things may not be as perfect as they seem. Pollution, especially air pollution,
is often overlooked because it is something that harms us after long-term
exposure. Because it’s not something that harms us right away, it’s not seen as
a high priority concern. It’s unfortunate that many people don’t take this
issue seriously because these long term effects are so detrimental to our
society.

Within the past few years, we have seen
that Europe and North American have shown some effort to lower their pollution;
however, it is imperative that the rest of the world attempt to do so as well.
Researcher Robert Brook from the University of Michigan says, “From the
standpoint of improving health across the world, it should be one of our top 10
worries.”

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2 Comments

Linda Rosen

Date: 3/28/2016

Wow! This article is fabulous and so informative! I'm going to suggest that my school buys these filters. I have had respiratory infections and need to breathe clean air. No filters compare to Air Sponge!! We need to stop breathing polluted air. I highly recommend these filters to all!!
Thank you,
Linda Rosen

palmer palmer

Date: 11/16/2016

I have a new Carrier AC It will not accept your old filter its too thick, there is a sucking sound when I use it which means i need a thinner size?? ( the motor is a one half horse power)